Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL has released a new single, “Metali!!”, featuring a guest appearance by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello
This is officially the first song by the newly reborn BABYMETAL, now consisting of Su-Metal, Moametal and the band’s latest addition, Momometal. This up-tempo track was created with the vision of the band’s audience forming a circle in a metal village-based summer festival.
On the new single and collaboration, Morello comments: “I am a big fan of BABYMETAL, a band that is both power rocking and constantly surprising with dizzying musical twists and turns. I’ve been trying to work with them for some time and when they sent me the demo of ‘Metali!!’ I knew I could rock that shit like crazy!”
BABYMETAL is featured on worldwide rapping phenom Lil Uzi Vert‘s recently released album “Pink Tape”, which topped the Billboard 200 chart.
In April of this year, the band made an announcement that marked a significant development in their lineup: the introduction of Momoko Okazaki, who adopts the moniker Momometal.
Previously a member of BABYMETAL‘s trio of backup dancers, referred to as the “Avengers,” Okazaki joined the ensemble in 2019. She shared this role with Kano Fujihira and Riho Sayashi. This formation came about following the departure of one of BABYMETAL‘s original members, Yuimetal, in October 2018.
The revelation of Momoko‘s inclusion in BABYMETAL took place during a performance at the Pia Arena MM in Okazaki, Japan.
Momoko‘s journey includes her involvement as a member of SAKURA GAKUIN and participation in the South Korean reality TV show “Girls Planet 999” as a contestant. However, she exited the show following its initial elimination round.
In 2018, the departure of Yuimetal, once a core member of BABYMETAL‘s Japanese trio, was announced. She chose to leave the group to pursue a solo career under the name Mizuno Yu.
Formed in 2010, BABYMETAL embarked on a mission to unite the world through the fusion of heavy metal and Japanese pop. Their music is an impressive blend of electronic pop, hints of alternative and industrial rock, all intertwined with fast-paced heavy metal. Their live performances are known for their groundbreaking visual and sonic elements. As they released three albums internationally, they narrated the story of the mighty Fox God and the valiant metal warriors.
A book titled “Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu,” capturing the first decade of BABYMETAL, hit the shelves in Japan in October 2020. It features an extensive interview with Su-metal and Moametal, alongside untold anecdotes from band producer Kobametal spanning their decade-long journey. The book includes live show photographs, a dialogue between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and more.
In March, BABYMETAL unveiled their latest concept album, “The Other One.”
In the coming weeks, BABYMETAL is set to embark on a co-headlining tour with DETHKLOK, the fictional heavy metal band from Adult Swim’s “Metalocalypse,” supported by virtuoso guitarist Jason Richardson. Marking their first return to the U.S. since before the pandemic, the “Babyklok” tour, produced by Live Nation and comprising 29 dates, will commence on August 30 in Houston, Texas. The tour will traverse through cities like Atlanta, Nashville, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and more before concluding on October 11 at Los Angeles’s YouTube Theater. This tour is in support of BABYMETAL‘s recent concept album, “The Other One,” their first of its kind.